How and Why We Should Write Ethically for All Kind

By Debra Perry, Managing Editor

Today we know better than to say for all “mankind.” But we have much further to go. Thinking of not just what we write but how we write—and communicate—is writing consciously, with mindfulness. Stopping to think about our word choices and our communications’ impact on others, we can choose inclusivity and respect for all.

Consider things like race, class, gender or nonbinary, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, ability, and age in our writing. That may seem like a long list to carefully navigate, but look at it another way. Instead of writing to those myriad things, we can be mindful to write for inclusivity instead.

Business and skills coach BetterUp’s “What’s the Deal with Gender Pronouns? Why Language Matters” article amplifies the importance of normalizing gender pronouns in the workplace (and anywhere) with the goal of imbuing an inclusive and diversity-promoted environment. The article lists examples of gender pronouns and how to use them and advises how to create opportunities for coworkers to share their personal pronouns.

The US Department of State says nonbinary, intersex, and other gender nonconforming Americans can mark their gender as “X” on their passports instead of “F” or “M” as of April 11, 2022, and it will be an option on other forms of documentation next year. In 2022, Fausto Martinez, an LGBTQIA2S+ activist, was the first person in Mexico issued a nonbinary gender birth certificate.

Why pronouns and the LGBTQIA2S+ acronym matter is because they can positively affect mental health, emotional well-being, and quality of life by fostering inclusion, connectivity, and a sense of identity for everyone.

According to a May 2021 article in The Boston Globe based on a national survey by The Trevor Project, a suicide and crisis intervention organization, “Transgender and nonbinary youth attempt suicide less when their pronouns are respected, and they’re allowed to change their name and/or gender marker on legal documents.”

Long-established beliefs of gender, race, and other aspects of the human condition challenge the process of change, but conscious mindfulness can help us avoid language that is assumptive and excluding.

For example, if you don’t know a person’s preference of courtesy title, instead of using Mr., Mrs., Ms., or Miss, use Mx. (pronounced “mix”). Likewise, if you are referring to an unknown person of Latin American descent, use Latinx (pronounced “Latinx”) instead of Latino or Latina. Latinx has also been lauded because it goes one further: It replaces the male-dominant plural, Latinos. As Yessenia Funes writes, “A group of women are ‘Latinas,’ but as soon as a man joins them, the group becomes ‘Latinos.’ Not anymore—thanks to ‘Latinx.’”

Just as when a person chooses to go by Mrs. or Latino and is referred to in that way, if Antony elects to be called Tony—or Toni, then they have the right to be referred to in their chosen way too. To be clear, it’s not about removing language like “Mrs.” or “Latino”—but rather, it’s about being inclusive of all identities.

While we’re here, we can be mindful to also eliminate phrasings that negatively connotate people’s names: She’s a “nervous Nellie” or a “negative Nancy.” “He’s a slippery Pete.” Yes, even “Karen.”

How we communicate leads to how we treat one another. Small tweaks in our word choices can go a long way in respecting others and increasing overall equality.